Power user
If I have to describe myself with regards to smartphone and tablet I guess I am a power user. In my daily life as the global marketing leader for Exact Cloud Solutions I travel quite often. I have many meetings and conference calls a day with a variety of people. Colleagues, suppliers, customers and partners either physical and virtual. I truly believe in the concept of sharing, the new owning, the #weconomy. I truly believe in the concept of sharing, the new owning, the #weconomy.So during my working day I am always online, always connected. So I share many things, experiences, articles and blog posts I read, moments during the day, in copy and images. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ play an important role in this social sharing thing. I prefer the Chrome browser on my laptop and have a Nexus smartphone and Nexus tablet. With a marketing team of about 30 people many documents, reports and plans pass by. Google Drive plays an important role in this to share but also review things with each other in real time.
Also in my personal life I like to share things. A family with two teenagers of 11 and 12 the weekend are quite busy. Lots of social activities so lots to share. Not always appreciated by friends and my wife but still its part of my system and from a professional point of view I really want to experience how this #weconomy today works. Both kids and my wife are on Twitter and Facebook. Their Instagram timeline is the most important one. Conversations based on pictures instead of thoughts. An interesting other angle compared with my own. My son with his Samsung Galaxy S3, Nexus 7 and my daughter with her Nexus 4 and iPad 2, my wife with her iPhone and iPad mini. A variety of devices and fully connected with each other. Their Instagram timeline is the most important one. Conversations based on pictures instead of thoughts. In private life I love to sport. An amateur triathlete, means lots of training and connections via Endomondo, Strava and TrainingsPeaks with others. Keeping up with their progression to achieve new goals. At home several subscriptions that entertain us. The usual cable provider for internet and TVm but also Spotify for our Sonos and Google Music and Netflix for listen and view things via the Google Chromecast on TV. So lets say a pretty intensive digitized lifestyle.
User scenario’s
The number of user scenario’s are huge and my business and private life are mixed up with each other completely. Lets focus on the Google apps that I use mostly and try to explain what is so nice having those integrated with the Android system and how it brings value to you as an user. The way I manage my Nexus devices is fairly simple. You just login with your Gmail account and all data will be syncronised. This means that for all Google apps, Maps, YouTube, Google+, Chrome, Currents, Drive etc. the system knows you. It tries to understand the context you are starting an app. The whereabouts are an important one. When you start your search in the Google bar, either on smartphone or laptop via Chrome, you will experience its intelligence. Not only you search history travels in realtime from device to device, once entered your keyword(s) the results that come up are context aware. So driving in a specific area means search results are different than in other areas. Google Maps is also a great way to search. But more about Maps later.
iTunes
I completely understand where Apple is coming from with the old fashioned on-premise iTunes application.
I completely understand where Apple is coming from with the old fashioned on-premise iTunes application. When iTunes was launched with all iPods the cloud and the internet wasn’t what it is today. But hey, why you still need such a fat client downloadable application when all today is in the cloud. For me it looks quite unrealistic the way my wife needs to sync her iPhone and iPad with our PC. They can live separate from each other but I must say that I quite often use the web based Google Play store to manage my devices and install new apps. And not only apps, also Music and Books you can easily select and install on the device of your choice. Utmost convenient and all in real time. I can’t wait for the TV and Movie section coming to The Netherlands.
Maps
For me personally I think that Maps for me is one of the most powerful Google apps available. There is also an iOS version available but the native Android version always has the latest and greatest features. Searching in Maps is a great experience. The navigation in it is awesome, whether you are a pedestrian or cyclist specific routes are generated for you. The public transportation suggestions are spot on. Whether you are in London, Frankfurt or Boston it is always there incredibly precise. Driving by car the traffic information in it showing you where not to drive is very useful. Exploring the area where you are at that moment is amazing and all info is at your fingertips. Exploring the area where you are at that moment is amazing and all info is at your fingertips. Streetview, reviews, pictures, recommendations route descriptions and so on. The latest version of Maps even shows you spots and places where the system thinks they have your preference. Because Android knows quite a bit from me through all apps they have the ability to predict what I like and don’t like, where I have been and never have been. Anything I can share with other. Whether it is a location, picture, a route or something else. All I can share through all my social apps, Buffer, Twitter, Facebook, Pocket, Mail, Evernote, Drive etc. etc. One thing that I do not completely understand, why there is a difference in between Google Earth and Maps. 3D buildings showing up is awesome and looking into the floor plans of big buildings showing where which stores are located, pretty need.
Search
Although my Nexus has a specific Contacts app I never use it. My starting point for persons, places or anything else is the search bar at the home screen. Within contacts all my social networks are integrated. So LinkedIn, Twitter, Gmail and many more are all in one. So entering a name the person itself shows up in the results list and once in the contact card I can select the way I want to engage. Phone, Twitter, LinkedIn, Skype, WhatsApp,Gmail or anything else that is known by the system. All of this makes that I am never lost, I feel comfortable no matter where I am. It makes me familiar with my environment instantly and I can tell you that feels great.